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Chicago Fire vs Houston Dynamo MLS Game Picks 8/3/2019

by Josh Schonwald - 7/31/2019

Saturday, August 3, 2019

BBVA Compass Stadium

BBVA Compass Stadium is the venue where Tomás Martinez and the Houston Dynamo (9-3-10, 9th in the Western Conference) will take on the Chicago Fire (5-9-10, 11th in the Eastern Conference) on Saturday. The goalkeepers expected to start are Kenneth Kronholm for the Chicago Fire and Joe Willis for the Houston Dynamo. The Dynamo are priced at -104 while the Fire are at +210. The total opens at 2.75.

The Chicago Fire head into this matchup holding a record of 5 victories, 9 draws, and 10 defeats ranking them 11th in the Eastern Conference. Thus far in the season, they have scored a total of 33 goals which is good for 7th in the Eastern Conference and 10th in MLS. That said, if they are going to get the win this game, they will look to play mistake free soccer so they can take advantage of their opportunities. Their goal differential is -1 ranking them 14th in MLS. The Chicago Fire will look to make sure they are sharing the ball because they have compiled a total of 22 assists which is good for 13th in MLS and 8th in the Eastern Conference. With reference to shots on target, they have compiled a total of 119 which is good for 2nd in the Eastern Conference and 4th in MLS. As a unit, Chicago currently has a total of 310 fouls which has them averaging 12.92 fouls per contest. They have compiled a total of 24 points for the season and they have an average attendance of 11,770.

Nemanja Nikolic is one of the best players for the Fire. The forward from Hungary has participated in 21 games in 2019 and has played 1,267 mins. In that time, the 31-year-old has scored 6 goals and has assisted on 0 goals. He holds an average of 60 minutes per appearance. Nikolic has been a starter in 16 games in 2019 and has committed 12 fouls over the course of that period. In discussing shots on target, Nikolic has connected on 14 which has him sitting in 50th in professional soccer and 10th in the Eastern Conference among forwards. C. J. Sapong is another player to watch out for on the team from Chicago. The 30-year-old from the United States has a total of 9 goals so far this season which has him sitting in 2nd in the East among forwards and 6th among all players in professional soccer. He has played 1,894 minutes and holds an average of 82 minutes per appearance which has him sitting in 149th in professional soccer. For this year, he has a total of 23 shots on target which has him sitting in 2nd in the East among forwards.

The man in net for the Fire is Kenneth Kronholm from the United States. He is 33 years old and has played a total of 990 mins minding the goal for the season. Kronholm is giving up 1.64 goals per 90 minutes which ranks him 17th in the East and 28th among goaltenders in Major League Soccer. During the 2019 season, he's surrendered 18 goals. He's earned a save percentage of .581 which ranks him 17th in the East.

The Houston Dynamo come into this matchup holding a record of 9 victories, 3 draws, and 10 losses putting them at 9th in the Western Conference. During the season thus far, they have converted a total of 29 goals which has them at 10th in the West and 19th in the league. This means that if are going to walk away with a victory, they will look to play mistake free soccer so they can take advantage of their opportunities. Their goal differential is -3 putting them at 17th in the league. The Houston Dynamo will look to share the ball with their teammates to get the opposition out of place as they have a total of 23 assists which has them at 11th in the league and 5th in the West. Regarding shots on target, they have a total of 91 which has them at 11th in the West and 19th in the league. As a group, Houston currently has a total of 276 fouls which has them averaging 12.55 fouls per game. They have a total of 30 points for the 2019 season and they have an average crowd of 15,522.

Tomás Martinez is one of the best players for the Dynamo. The midfielder from Argentina has taken part in 21 games this year and has played 1,549 mins. Over the course of that time, the 23-year-old has a total of 4 goals and has assisted on 2 goals. He has an average of 74 minutes per appearance. Martinez has been a starter in 20 games this year and has totaled 30 fouls over the course of that time. As to shots on target, Martinez has totaled 9 which has him ranking 96th in Major League Soccer and 18th in the West among midfielders. Mauro Manotas is another player to watch out for on the squad from Houston. The 23-year-old from Colombia has connected on 8 goals this year which has him ranked 6th in the Western Conference among forwards and 15th among all qualified players in professional soccer. He has played 1,666 minutes and is averaging 79 mins per game which has him ranked 178th in professional soccer. In 2019, he has a total of 21 shots on target which has him ranked 7th in the Western Conference among forwards.

The man protecting the net for the Dynamo is Joe Willis from the United States. He is 30 years old and has played 1,710 mins minding the net this season. Willis is giving up an average of 1.47 goals per 90 mins which has him ranking 9th in the West and 21st in Major League Soccer. Over the course of this year, he has allowed 28 goals. His save percentage is .689 which has him ranking 11th in the West.

Who will win tonight's MLS game ATS?

Josh's Pick: Take Houston (-104)

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Chicago Fire vs Houston Dynamo MLS Game Picks 8/3/2019

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